Hello!

First of all, I think it's fantastic you have opened your office to someone who is visually impaired. And to make this experience a positive one for the new employee, their dog, and your team, it's all about educating your team as best possible so that the new employee isn't having to do it ALL by him/herself. So, ideally, you want to start educating your whole team, as a group, immediately.

A good place to start is with the employee's companion (guide dog), and make sure your employees know the "rules" about Guide Dogs. This is very important, because some things a well meaning employee may do could be a hazard for the visually impaired employee.

I suggest looking at this website, printing out the do's/don'ts, and sharing it with your team:

http://thepuppyplace.org/page52.html

Another website (that is not specific to the guide dog) answers "everything you always wanted to know about blind employees but were afraid to ask". While some of this info is for an employer (you), it also shares good general info that would be good for your team to know:

http://www.esight.org/View.cfm?x=565#section_15

Aside from all of this, I suggest assigning 1-2 employees to the new employee who will be his/her "welcome director(s)" in charge of touring them around the office, asking questions, coordinating lunch outings with others, etc. And this person(s) will be your new employee's go-to person for anything they need until they are adjusted and comfortable. I suggest having two people in case one is not available when a question arises.

Also, one of the best things to do is simply ask your new employee what would be most helpful to them to make the adjustment in the new office environment. He/she has (I'm assuming) worked before, and the more "open" you are with everything, the more comfortable it will be for them, and your team.

But, again, special focus needs to also be put on the guide dog. There are rules that must be followed for the safety of your new employee and their dog, so make sure your team is aware of those immediately.

And you need to think out some things like: When the employee needs to take the dog outside to go potty, where can they go? If it's not obvious (like you work by a field or whatever) try to have a "location" identified before the employee starts their first day. It's little things like that that will help a lot.

Take care,

Lisa Orrell
Speaker & Author
Leadership & Career Coach for Gen Y
TheOrrellGroup.com